If you could write your own paycheque, what would it be?
Oh, there's one other detail your boss is watching to see what number you put down, and if you set the number too high, you'll be fired.
That's pretty much the problem 老澳门六合彩开奖记录资料 council faced this week as they debated the thorny issue of council pay at Committee of the Whole.
There's no question that running for local elected office is not a money-making proposition especially if you work out the meager pay by the hour. And Coun. Bryan Raiser, who brought the motion forward to raise the mayor's salary by 67 per cent, or just under $24,000 per year (which would automatically raise councillors' pay by the same percentile) is absolutely right that the pay presents a barrier to a large number of citizens who would otherwise run for office.
But it's no surprise he ran into a wall when it came before council. It's a no-win scenario for any elected official to set his or her own pay. You will always be able to find municipalities with smaller populations or tax bases that pay their councilors more, and larger municipalities that pay them less, for a whole host of reasons. And with hard-pressed taxpayers to face at the polls, any politician looking towards re-election or moving up to the mayor's chair or higher office is going to be very leery of ever voting themselves a raise in pay, especially in tough economic times when taxes go up and services and grants have to be cut back.
For instance, had Raiser's motion passed, it would have increased the salaries to mayor and council by a combined total of about $84,000 per year in the same week as council turned down more than $150,000 in grants in aid, and the mob would likely be headed to Municipal Hall with torches and pitchforks as we speak.
The principle isn't the problem raising pay to encourage people who can't afford to run for council is a good idea, but politically it's a non-starter.
The fact is, the solution to paying councilors can't come from the local level. The provincial government and the Union of B.C. Municipalities (UBCM) have to sit down and together come up with a proper formula, applicable across B.C., for paying elected officials that takes population and tax bases into consideration, with an automatic review after every municipal election.
The timing to set this up is perfect, as the province is already seeking comments for reforms to the municipal election process. The question of councillors' pay should be added to the issues of term limits, sizes of councils and campaign financing.
That's where the battle needs to be fought and we hope 老澳门六合彩开奖记录资料 elected officials make it a priority at the UBCM. It's worth it.
Tim Shoults
